This invention relates generally to carts for the collection and transport of grain and is particularly directed to a conveyor for off-loading harvested grain from a tractor-pulled cart onto a truck or other vehicle for transport or storage.
A grain cart is used for the storage and transport of harvested grain. The grain cart is frequently loaded from a combine in the field while the grain cart is drawn by a tractor alongside the combine and receives the grain harvested by and discharged from the combine for later deposit in a truck for transport to a grain elevator. The grain cart generally includes a bin-type structure with wheels as well as a self-contained discharge unit for off-loading of the grain. The discharge unit is typically a multi-section auger which allows for transfer of grain stored in the cart to a truck as the cart is being pulled by a tractor. The auger is typically configurable between a folded, non-use position and an extended, use position.
Grain cart off-loading arrangements of the auger-type suffer from several operating limitations. A primary disadvantage of this type of grain discharge device is in damage to the grain caused by wedging of the grain between the rotating auger, or drill, and its outer housing. Damage to the grain in the form of cracking increases grain susceptibility to infestation by insects and generally degrades grain quality. In addition, grain cart augers typically operated by power derived from a tractor pulling the cart require a large power output from the tractor to move the grain. The high power operating requirement of auger-type off-loading mechanisms has necessitated use of complicated and heavy drive linkage arrangements between the tractor's power take-off (PTO) unit and the cart's off-loading unit.
Prior grain discharge arrangements have also generally involved positioning a lower portion of the conveyor housing, or chute, within the grain cart or attaching it to an outer portion of the cart housing. Positioning the off-loading chute within the cart reduces the grain holding capacity of the cart and prevents access to the off-loading mechanism when the cart is filled with grain.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing a gravity fed, paddle-type chain conveyor for a grain cart which includes a single, unitary, elongated housing positioned outside of the cart which is pivotable between a generally horizontal storage/transport position and an upright use position. In the use position, a lower inlet end of the conveyor housing is disposed over an aperture in a tapered discharge chute in a lower portion of the cart for gravity feed of the grain to the conveyor where it is transported upward for discharge into a truck or other vehicle for transport or storage. The gravity fed, chain conveyor of the present invention requires reduced power to operate, reduces damage to the transported grain, is operable by a tractor operator from the tractor, and can be used to either discharge the grain directly into a pit disposed below the cart or into a truck, as described above.